contrivance
/kənˈtɹaɪ.vəns/noun
contrivance is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-V-A-N-C-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, contrivance means “A (mechanical) device to perform a certain task” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of contrivance is contrivances.
How many letters and syllables are in contrivance?
| Letters | 11: C-O-N-T-R-I-V-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 68,248th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is contrivance?
Contrivance appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce contrivance?
- /kənˈtɹaɪ.vəns/
Contrivance has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-contrivance.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contrivance
- contrivances plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contrivance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A (mechanical) device to perform a certain task.
- 2
A means, such as an elaborate plan or strategy, to accomplish a certain objective.
- 3
Something overly artful or artificial.
- 4
The making of cunning or deceitful plans
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contrivance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | appareil, dispositif , stratagème |
| German | Vorrichtung, Maschinerie, Apparat, Behelf , Erfindung |
| Portuguese | aparelho , artifício, artimanha |
| Spanish | aparato , artificio, artimaña, estratagema, elucubración , artefacto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does contrivance come from?
From contrive + -ance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).